Spin Polarization-Induced Facile Dioxygen Activation in Boron-Doped Graphitic Carbon Nitride
2020 (English)In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, ISSN 1944-8244, E-ISSN 1944-8252, Vol. 12, no 47, p. 52741-52748Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Dioxygen (O-2) activation is a vital step in many oxidation reactions, and a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) sheet is known as a famous semiconductor catalytic material. Here, we report that the atomic boron (B)-doped g-C3N4 (B/g-C3N4) can be used as a highly efficient catalyst for O-2 activation. Our first-principles results show that O-2 can be easily chemisorbed at the B site and thus can be highly activated, featured by an elongated O-O bond (similar to 1.52 angstrom). Interestingly, the O-O cleavage is almost barrier free at room temperatures, independent of the doping concentration. It is revealed that the B atom can induce considerable spin polarization on B/g-C3N4, which accounts for O-2 activation. The doping concentration determines the coupling configuration of net-spin and thus the magnitude of the magnetism. However, the distribution of net-spin at the active site is independent of the doping concentration, giving rise to the doping concentration-independent catalytic capacity. The unique monolayer geometry and the existing multiple active sites may facilitate the adsorption and activation of O-2 from two sides, and the newly generated surface oxygen-containing groups can catalyze the oxidation coupling of methane to ethane. The present findings pave a new way to design g-C3N4-based metal-free catalysts for oxidation reactions.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Chemical Society (ACS) , 2020. Vol. 12, no 47, p. 52741-52748
Keywords [en]
first-principles calculations, graphitic carbon nitride sheet, boron doping, dioxygen activation, spin polarization
National Category
Materials Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-290465DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c16216ISI: 000595547400047PubMedID: 33174426Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85096708071OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-290465DiVA, id: diva2:1553638
Note
QC 20210510
2021-05-102021-05-102022-06-25Bibliographically approved